Thread: NY: Hunt. Station may pull funding for day laborer site!

newsday.com/iphone/ny-lihunt1223,0,6506097.story
newsday.com
Huntington may pull funds from day laborer hiring site

BY DEBORAH S. MORRIS

Newsday Staff Writer

8:08 PM EST, December 22, 2008

Huntington Town is considering phasing out the funding it provides for the 10-year-old day laborer hiring site in Huntington Station, according to Supervisor Frank Petrone.

He said the number of people being hired at the Depot Road site has fallen and it's time to consider if town funds should be redirected.

In July 2007, the Family Service League, a nonprofit organization that helps needy families, took over day-to-day operation of the site and added referral services and immigration counseling.

This year, the town spent $101,645 on the site, which also receives funding from two nonprofit organizations, the Hagedorn Foundation and the Long Island Community Foundation.

"We said initially we were not going to be funding the site indefinitely," Petrone said. "We're in the process of re-evaluating [the site] with the Family Service League; we're looking to phase out any kind of public funding for the site into a private funding pattern."

Peggy Boyd, vice president of advocacy and services for Family Service League, said she appreciates that hard economic times may lead to funding cutoffs. "We recognize that with any dollars that are available at this point we need to have effective outcomes," she said.

Petrone said it's unclear what would happen to the hiring site if another private funding source does not come forward.

The Rev. Allan Ramirez, of Brookville Reformed Church, and a Latino advocate, sounded a note of caution and called on Petrone to reach out to leaders in the community before making a decision.

"It's naive to think you are going to make something better by withdrawing funds," Ramirez said. If private funding doesn't fill the gap, "they are actually going to make it worse."

He said having a designated site offers not only safety to day laborers but also a level of comfort for nearby residents.

"It's better to have them congregate in one area," Ramirez said.

Luis Valenzuela, executive director of the Long Island Immigrant Alliance, said national research "suggests these work sites work best when there is public support. There's no better way to show support than through some funding."

He said he is encouraged by Petrone's remarks that the town hasn't reached a decision to discontinue funding.

On a recent bitterly cold morning, about 20 day laborers at the site huddled in the fenced-in area. Inside a trailer, others played guitar and sang. Earlier, three workers had been hired from the site.

"We depend on this site," said one worker, Frank, who has used it since its inception. "If they close it, we will have to stand on the street."

Copyright © 2008, Newsday Inc.

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The Rev. Allan Ramirez, of Brookville Reformed Church, and a Latino advocate, sounded a note of caution and called on Petrone to reach out to leaders in the community before making a decision.

Reach out and hit Laraza up for some $$$, they've got millions for you!

Reach out and hit Laraza up for some $$$, they've got millions for you![/quote]

Yep and they got those millions from us!

It's better to have them congregate in one area," Ramirez said.



Yes it is...........it's better to have them congregate in their home countries.